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Vale: Geoffrey Palmer

Veteran British actor, best known for As Time Goes By, has died.

Veteran British actor Geoffrey Palmer, best known for As Time Goes By, has died aged 93.

He died peacefully at home, his agent said.

The prolific actor appeared in As Time Goes By with Dame Judi Dench, both as two former lovers who meet unexpectedly and later marry. It ran from 1992 to 2005.

On Butterflies he played Ben Parkinson alongside screen wife Wendy Craig from 1978 – 1983.

His early television roles included appearances in The Army Game, The Saint and The Avengers and he went on to appear in Doctor Who and the Kipper and the Corpse episode of Fawlty Towers.

Other TV credits included The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, Bergerac, Inspector Morse, Executive Stress, Ashes to Ashes, Poirot, Rev, The Hollow Crown and The Savages.

Film credits include Mrs Brown, The Madness of King George, A Fish Called Wanda, Tomorrow Never Dies, W.E., and Paddington.

Dame Judi, said,  “Geoffrey was master of comedy, an absolute master.”

She added: “I’ve admired him all my life. How lucky to have been in something with him for so long.”

His co-star in Butterflies from 1978 to 1983, Wendy Craig, told the programme: “He was just a delight to work with, his timing was perfect.”

He also narrated the Grumpy Old Men series but once said, “I am not grumpy, I just look this way.”

Source: BBC

6 Responses

  1. One of my favourite British actors. I am actually surprised he was 93! I thought he was younger. My parents introduced me to the wonderful Geoffrey Palmer when I was quite young: ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’. Absolutely loved him is ‘As Time Goes By’. He will be missed. I loved that last quote David. Never heard it before.

  2. His vocal and facial acting expressions were fantastic, popped up in a lot of stuff, mid-As Time Goes By he also appeared with Judi Dench again in 1997’s 007 flick “Tomorrow Never Dies”.

  3. A great character actor; terrific comedic timing. Often droll and wry in his acting style. I really admired his work in ‘Butterflies’ – an important series which was most illuminating for me as a teenager. He was also memorable for me as the Doctor in ‘Fawlty Towers’ in the episode where a guest dies and Basil freaks out. His gravitas worked so well alongside the slapstick of the iconic series.

    Geoffrey Palmer left his mark.

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